The Giver, an elderly man with a beard and pale eyes like Jonas', is the current Receiver of Memory. He carries the burden of the memories of the world, and suffers from the pain contained within the memories. Because The Giver is unable to share his work with anyone in the community (they would never understand), he is lonely. His life is totally different from the lives of other citizens in the community. He lives in rooms called the Annex, rooms unlike the dwellings of the other community members. He can lock his door and turn off the speaker; he has luxurious fabrics on his furniture and walls lined with shelves from top to bottom, holding thousands of books. These amenities isolate The Giver from other people living in the community.
The Giver is cynical and frustrated because he knows that the people gave up too much when they chose Sameness. As The Giver begins to transmit memories to Jonas, Jonas becomes upset. The Giver is surprised at the intensity of Jonas' feelings and the insight that Jonas already has about the philosophy of Sameness. Jonas mirrors the feelings The Giver has had for years. He admits that he's "never been able to think of a way" to force the people to accept memories, a statement that indicates that The Giver, like Jonas, wants to do away with Sameness in the community.
The Giver works with Jonas to develop a plan to do away with Sameness. He agrees to be available to help the people cope with their newly found memories. However, that is not enough for The Giver. He longs to be with his daughter, Rosemary, the earlier Receiver-in-Train-ing who chose release over living a lonely and isolated life like The Giver. The Giver is telling Jonas that he intends to commit suicide. Because Lowry has written an ambiguous ending to the novel, we don't know what happens to The Giver.
